YCC Continues Bid For Leftover Stimulus

70 percent of youth in crisis in Wyoming tapped into services at the Youth Crisis Center in Casper this past year.

That number comes from Y-C-C director Dick Dresang who, along with board member, Jim Meador, met with the Natrona County Commission this week asking for help to access leftover stimulus dollars earmarked for juvenile services.

"What we need for the stimulus funds to be enacted, they can't go directly to us they need an entity and the County Commissioners would be that entity. They can do that with a resolution to the stimulus fund holders which is the state of Wyoming presently."

Jim Meador says the quarter to half million dollars if captured would go to help build a 1.2 million dollar wing on the existing center.

More space, Meador explains will actually help them cut costs and alleviate a budget crunch as the need for their services goes up. Personnel to keep more than one campus running has been part of the problem.

"Financially we're hitting a dead end there. With fluctuating numbers from DFS and the courts of children into the program we had to maintain staff. Shutting down the Mills home helped us and if we can get this expansion built we'll move the Hemry home children into that wing which gives us a duplication of some of our personnel to be able to watch both locations and cut some costs."

They hope designs for the new building will include Geothermal that could cut utility costs substantially.

Meador and Dresang return to the Commission next week to share more details and hope to come away with a formal letter of support as they pitch for a share of leftover federal dollars.